Panasonic SC-BTT290 review

The BTT290 could be the ideal all-in-one home cinema package for anyone with limited space. It shares the same 1000W Blu-ray deck as its more expensive siblings but comes with four small satellite speakers that easily fit in a smaller room.

With its pop-out iPod dock, SDXC card reader and single USB port, the front of the main unit is fairly well connected, but the majority of the ports are hidden around the back. Two HDMI inputs and a single HDMI output that supports Audio Return Channel cater for plenty of sources. Stereo RCA phono and optical digital audio inputs, an FM aerial, composite video output and a USB port reserved for Panasonic’s Skype camera complete the line-up.

The proprietary speaker connections on the main unit might be a little troublesome if you need longer than average cable lengths, but the speakers themselves use spring terminal connections so you should be able to splice extra cable in if required. Each satellite is no larger than the average coffee mug, with the centre speaker being roughly twice as wide to accommodate a second speaker driver. The passive subwoofer is quite large for an all-in-one system, but is still smaller than the heavy duty active subs that you might pair with an AV amplifier.

You can get online wirelessly or by Ethernet cable, and once connected you can stream multimedia content from a networked PC or NAS device. We had no trouble playing various file formats, and only the antiquated WMV HD codec refused to work. DivX, MKV, AVCHD and MOV files were all fine. VIERA Connect is also present, giving you access to social networks like Facebook, catch-up TV from BBC iPlayer and streaming video from Netflix, YouTube and LoveFilm.

Navigating the BTT290’s menus was incredibly easy thanks to a sensible layout and large icons. Despite the simple appearance, there are a huge number of image quality options available, including chroma processing, upscaling and colour adjustment. In practice, this helped Blu-ray films look incredibly detailed, with precise edges and vibrant colours, as well as a level of contrast missing from other players we’ve tried. Up-scaling adds extra sharpness to DVDs, giving the illusion of a higher resolution, but it brings added noise with it. If your TV has a noise reduction function, it could be put to good use here.

Despite their small stature, the speakers produced clear and precise audio that brought 5.1 soundtracks to life. Although they need more careful placement than the floor-standing satellites that come with the more expensive BTT490, the rear pair was still able to create a realistic and enveloping sound. The sound filled our test chamber at under two-thirds volume, we couldn’t detect any signs of pop or distortion and the centre speaker never felt drowned out by the other satellites.

The amount of bass produced by the subwoofer impressed us. Even though it’s a passive system, it rumbled when required. Those wanting to shake their furniture will probably be left disappointed, but it produced more than enough bass to bring added depth to our test films.

At £289, the BTT290 is a tempting proposition for anyone looking to upgrade their home cinema setup. It might lack the powerful audio of more expensive systems, but it has all the connections and picture quality settings that a small room could need.